The Internet, and its multimedia counterpart, the World Wide Web, have become a popular medium of communication. Information on a wide variety of topics is available with just a few clicks of a mouse. As the Internet expands its boundaries by increasing the number of servers and networks which it supports, and as more and more people utilize the Internet to search for data, the way in which information is presented is undergoing evolution. Two important evolutionary factors, which have become increasingly apparent, are discussed herein.
THE FIRST FACTOR--"PUSH" TECHNOLOGY
The first important evolutionary factor is that the burden of obtaining information desired by a user no longer falls squarely on the shoulders of the user. Rather, an active technology, called "Push" technology, is making it possible for the system to provide the user with desired information automatically, as information, defined by a class of criteria as being "desired," becomes available. Push technology has been pioneered by PointCast, Inc., in Sunnyvale, Calif.
For example, automated agent machines, such as "web crawlers", search the Web for data collection, indexing and filtering. As another example, a single access to a server might be made by a "proxy server", which then saves the content and re-distributes it to a user community.
Also, push technology has been explored, with particular reference to issues relating to providing compensation to content providers, on co-pending, co-assigned United States Patent Application 08/819,345, filed Mar, 18, 1997, Lotspiech et al., "Persona-Based Client/Server Communications." The disclosed invention provides a system and method for client/server communications on the World Wide Web, which represents one possible approach for allowing the user to control information that is revealed to a server and that is delivered from a server.
A client system is communicatively coupled to a server. User information about a user on the client system is stored on the client system. A user information request is received from the server. The requested user information is compared with the stored user information, at the client. User information is transmitted from the client to the server based on the comparison between the requested user information and the stored user information. Information is received from the server that is based on the user information transmitted from the client to the server.
The PointCast and Lotspiech systems have used Push technology to make desired information available to users. However, the user then faces the prospect of being overwhelmed by the volume of information received.
THE SECOND FACTOR--HIGHLIGHTS
The second important evolutionary factor is that the explosive growth of the amount of information available in cyberspace makes presenting highlights a more valuable approach.
A user interface technology, commonly called "Ticker" technology, has recently emerged as one of the dominant user interfaces, used by Internet information systems, for displaying dynamically changing data.
"Ticker" is a metaphor, referring to the old-style hard-copy stock tickers which printed information, such as stock quotes and news bulletins, on a thin strip of paper tape. In a graphical user interface (GUI), the ticker manifests itself as a strip, typically along the bottom of a GUI display, within which information is displayed. Text either runs, or "crawls," horizontally along the length of the ticker display strip, or rolls vertically, in the fashion of a line of just-typewritten text coming into view as the platen of a typewriter rolls upward one line.
Conventional visual and text-based ticker interfaces have had many drawbacks. First, one must always pay close attention to the ticker's display, or otherwise he/she has no way of getting the information content.
Second, a ticker requires a display device with sufficient capabilities to realize its value. This means that it is not appropriate for devices with very limited displaying capabilities such as a mobile phone. A ticker, however small and compact it is, occupies some screen space that could otherwise be used by other applications. For example, a user filling out a financial spreadsheet must constantly close an application window in order to see the ticker's content.
Third, the visual display ties up user's eye sights thus diverting one's attention from performing some other important tasks. Finally, one has to be near the screen to get the information.
Therefore, there is an unfilled need for a method and system, usable in client/server or remote networked systems such as the Internet, for making desired information available to the user in a way that the user is optimally able to receive the information without being unduly distracted from his/her work.